Molly, who had yet to shrug off entirely her previous existence as a ‘woman who lunched’, was just going to drop an estate load, which amounted to four students, at the gallery. Thea’s car was packed with an enormous sound system which Petal insisted was essential if any work was to be done, as many of her old clothes as she thought would cover the workers, mugs, coffee, a huge chocolate cake she had made in the night when she couldn’t sleep and a case of beers she planned to keep hidden until after the work was done. She also took her vacuum cleaner and Petal.

‘You get them into painting gear while I make friends with the builders’ merchants round the corner, and get paint and ladders and stuff. I’ve opened an account there, so that’ll mean I don’t have to go every time and pay. We’re going to be rigid about coffee breaks and only have them when we’ve seen real progress.’

Petal gave her a ‘get a life’ look, rolling her eyes, her expression saying ‘Iike any of that’s ever going to happen’. Thea frowned, wondering if she could fit in an assertiveness course, after all. Having dumped Petal and the contents of her car on to the pavement, she watched her organise a chain gang through her rear-view mirror.

It took ages to buy the industrial-size tubs of paint, sugar soap, soft brooms, stiff brooms, rubber gloves and all the other myriad items she and the man who served her thought she’d need. All the while more items were added to the list, or she took another docket to another window so she could pay, she consoled herself with the thought that Petal would have been making them get on. They couldn’t do a lot, she realised, but they could start pulling up the carpet. Derek had put his tool kit into Molly’s car.

She had forgotten that they were mostly art students. First, they had had enormous fun dressing up in Thea’s old clothes. Then they had put the music on loud enough to threaten the glass in the windows and pranced about, exclaiming over the wondrousness of the space. They had also found the chocolate cake, though not, thank goodness, the beer.

Thea turned off the music, realising that either Petal had let her down, or that she didn’t have quite enough of Molly’s genes. ‘Right, you lot!’ she shouted assertively. ‘I’ll start paying you from the time you start work. We need to get this carpet up. And if this room isn’t clear of carpet, walls and floor washed by five o’clock, no one gets paid and no one gets a lift back to town. Petal?’

She hoped no one heard the note of pleading, which to her was only too clear.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve